DOVEPAW SAT AT the edge of the medicine den, watching, as Mousetail and the rest of the Clan cats came into the camp from the Gathering. With urgency she rushed to her sister's side. She jumped when Dovepaw hurried toward her and explained hurriedly, "I saw Spottedsong. When you have time, we need to talk."

Mousetail looked shocked by the look of terror in Dovepaw's eyes. "Oh, um, well, how about we talk in the morning?" she suggested hopefully, glancing at Skystorm, who was watching patiently.

Dovepaw's tail dropped a little in disappointment. "Okay. That's fine. See you later." She turned and headed for the apprentice's den. Flypaw and Icepaw were already headed there, too. "Hi," she greeted her foster brothers as they entered the den. "How was the Gathering?"

"Uneventful," Flypaw sighed disappointedly as he settled down in his nest. "But I'm also thankful because there wasn't any drama between the Clans like usual. Where were you?" Icepaw nodded beside him.

"Oh . . . nowhere special. It's too much for young cats like you two," Dovepaw told him. "All that matters is I'm safe." She managed a reassuring smile, even though she wasn't too enthusiastic about not telling them what she had been up to. But they were really too young to have so much knowledge like what had happened to Spottedsong.

Flypaw's and Icepaw's eyes were wide with indignation. "Please tell us!" Icepaw pleaded. "All of the warriors always say things like 'You're too young' or 'I'll tell you later.' It's not fair that we don't get to know!"

Dovepaw flicked her tail dismissively. "I'm sorry, but the warriors are right. It is too much for you two to handle." But they've seen things. They know what threat is against us. It really doesn't seem fair to hide everything from them. But then, she knew that they would probably not understand, judging by how young they were. They were barely two moons into apprenticeship.

The two littermates looked at each other, disappointment shining in their eyes. "Fine," Flypaw muttered as he snuggled next to his brother in his nest. He closed his eyes and tucked his nose under his paws. Icepaw let out a small disappointed sigh and closed his eyes.

Dovepaw sighed, too. They were so good at making another cat feel bad for them. She felt bad for them, too. They deserved to know everything, yet information was hidden from them everytime they asked. Which brought up the thought of Spottedsong. Would she be okay, alone in the forest? Was she alone? Mousetail had said she was with Foxclaw, but Dovepaw hadn't seen him anywhere.

Not that I want to see him. Perhaps StarClan knows. She looked outside from where she was curled up in her nest. Please, StarClan, come to me and give me answers.

***

Dovepaw woke in the morning, annoyed. StarClan hadn't answered her prayer. They always did, though. But the only way to find out if StarClan was still listening was to wait to go to the Moonpool. There was no point in going immediately.

She stood up in her nest and stretched each leg in turn. Flypaw and Icepaw were gone. They must have gone training earlier. Dovepaw walked out of the den toward the medicine den. When she came in she saw Badgertooth unwrapping the cobwebs Frozenfang's wound to replace them with fresh ones. "It's been hurting all night," Frozenfang was complaining.

Badgertooth paused, worry beginning to cross his face. "Next time you can wake me if it hurts. That's the main reason I sleep in here," he told her as he removed the cobwebs. He inhaled sharply. "Your wound looks infected. We should have some marigold or horsetail here." He turned to the herb store. "Oh, good morning, Dovepaw. Would you mind helping me find something for the infection? I always forget where I put it. . . ."

Dovepaw felt a pang of sympathy for her mentor as she headed to where he kept the marigold. He had begun to forget simple things like where the marigold was. She took some marigold in her jaws and began to chew it up into a poultice.

"There it was." Badgertooth sighed in relief. "Yes, start chewing that up and then we'll apply it to Frozenfang's wound. I'll find some cobwebs." He turned to where he usually stored the cobwebs and sighed again, this time in disappointment. "Looks as if we ran out. Would you mind finding some?" He turned to Dovepaw. "I can finish up that poultice."

"Oh, no, I don't mind." Dovepaw moved aside so that Badgertooth could finish the poultice. "The cobwebs are near the ThunderClan border?" she asked.

"Yes. Go quick," Badgertooth instructed.

Dovepaw dipped her head briefly before whisking out of the den. Should a warrior come with me? With MoonClan still out there, it could be dangerous to go out there alone. She looked around and caught Blizzardpelt's eye. She hurried toward him. "Do you mind coming with me to gather some cobwebs?" she asked her father.

"Not at all," Blizzardpelt responded. "I've got nothing better to do." He got up and followed Dovepaw out of the camp. "You've run out already?" he asked as they continued on the path to the ThunderClan border.

"Yes. With the injuries dealt to me and Frozenfang, we had to use a lot. But luckily cobwebs are really common around here," Dovepaw responded. She froze when she heard an ear-splitting yowl just ahead of them. It sounded like it was coming from uncharted territory. Who could possibly be over there? "We should go check that out," she observed half to herself. She began to run in the direction of the cry.

Even though uncertainty glittered in his eyes, Blizzardpelt nodded and ran after her. "Good idea. I hope it's nothing too serious." He looked concerned for once.

"Me, too." As they neared the border, Dovepaw could smell the strong scent of MoonClan. She also caught a fresh but faint FrostClan scent. "Smells like MoonClan and FrostClan," she told Blizzardpelt. "Do you think it would be fine if we crossed here, just to check and see what's going on?"

Blizzardpelt narrowed his eyes on the border, then nodded stiffly. "If there's a cat in danger, then we can't leave them alone."

Dovepaw nodded swiftly and quickly ran across the border, following the scent. As she neared the location, she caught a whiff of fresh blood. The MoonClan scent was stale, and there was RiverClan scent along with it. "Who do you think is here? Or was?"

Blizzardpelt looked as confused as she felt. "I don't know. There seems to be MoonClan, RiverClan, FrostClan, and rogues all in one place. I wonder what the problem is. It also seems like there was some sort of struggle." He paused before his gaze flitted to the bushes beside them. "See these bushes? There's blood on them. And some of the leaves were ripped."

Dovepaw's eyes widened when she saw the battered bush. Sure enough, it looked like two cats were fighting on it or near it. "There was definitely a fight." She turned and headed towards the scents again. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw two limp bodies on the ground, both covered in wounds. She rushed toward them.

One of the bodies moved.

Dovepaw jumped as the cat lifted his head. "Foxclaw? What happened here?"

Foxclaw looked nearly dead as he lifted himself off the ground and limped toward the other body. "An attack. A group of MoonClan cats were here with Moonclaw. I don't know where they went." He lowered his muzzle to the tortoiseshell cat's neck and touched it lightly. "She's breathing, but barely," he reported.

Dovepaw and Blizzardpelt moved forward cautiously. "We have to get you two to safety," Blizzardpelt responded, his mew unwavering.

"How do you suppose we get them to safety?" Dovepaw questioned. "The camp is so far away! And when we're carrying two nearly-dead cats with us, it won't take as long as it usually does. It'll be longer and more painful." She looked to the tortoiseshell, who must have been Spottedsong. "Is she conscious?"

"No. I think a MoonClan warrior knocked her out, by the sound of it," Foxclaw responded. He looked at Dovepaw cautiously. "S-she told me that you have some sort of healing ability. Couldn't you use that?"

Dovepaw shifted her paws on the earth. Why would she share something like that with Foxclaw? I don't even know if he's good or bad anymore. "Well . . . last time it didn't work as planned, so I don't want to take my chances. Let's not waste our time discussing this. Blizzardpelt, do you think you can carry her?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Foxclaw, help me as much as you can to get her onto Blizzardpelt's back," she instructed as she tried to get Spottedsong's limp body into a position to get her onto Blizzardpelt's back. Foxclaw helped her.

***

Dovepaw and Blizzardpelt finally managed to get the two battered cats to the camp. She had gotten some cobwebs on the way, too. Lots of them. Both Blizzardpelt and Dovepaw carried a mouthful of cobwebs. Hopefully they allow two traitors back into the camp until they heal. In a cluster, they all walked into camp. The remaining cats in the camp watched them curiously. Dovepaw tried not to show her discomfort as they walked to the medicine den.

"What is going on here?" Lynxstar demanded angrily. Owlheart was at her side. "You've brought traitors into the camp."

Do I look stupid to you? I know I did. She put down her cobwebs and looked over her shoulder. "Go, Blizzardpelt. I'll be there shortly."

Blizzardpelt looked hesitant, as if he thought it was silly to follow orders from an apprentice. But then he nodded and left.

"I know they're traitors." Dovepaw winced as she realized that there was venom in her own voice. "They were attacked. By MoonClan. I was doing my job. I couldn't just leave them there."

Lynxstar narrowed her eyes. "Fine. They can stay here until they are fully healed, nothing more." Without further explanation, she turned and left.

Dovepaw sighed. She grabbed her cobwebs again and turned to the medicine den. She ignored the murmurs that rippled through the camp. When she came into the den she noticed that Badgertooth suddenly looked overwhelmed. "How can I help?"

"Check Foxclaw's wounds," Badgertooth answered distractedly. He was tending to Spottedsong's wounds. Frozenfang watched intently, her eyes wide with concern.

Dovepaw felt a twinge of discomfort, but she grabbed the cobwebs and began to tend to Foxclaw's wounds. She could practically feel his eyes on her, but she ignored him, not wanting to get into anything unwanted. Besides, she hadn't seen him in forever and she left him out of the blue. Hedgehogs will fly when I'm with him again.

As she began to rub marigold into Foxclaw's wound, he made the first move. "Why did you leave?" he asked.

Dovepaw wanted to ignore him, but she knew she shouldn't. "Oh. I realized that I shouldn't have been with you, and so I left. Mostly because the rest of my Clan found out."

"I was worried about you," Foxclaw told her, wincing as she accidentally pushed too hard on his wound in annoyance. "I was . . . lonely."

Dovepaw blinked at him. "Sorry. I-I made the right decision. I'm a medicine cat. I shouldn't be in love." More hesitantly she added, "As much as I want to."

"Would you come back if you were allowed?" Foxclaw asked curiously.

Dovepaw froze. Would I? Do I still love him that way? Do I just say I don't love him because my Clanmates don't want me to love him? She looked into his eyes, wondering how she should answer. I think I do still love him, but I won't admit it to myself.

"I think so," she admitted. "Why do you ask?"

Foxclaw glanced at Badgertooth. Then he leaned closer and whispered, "Are you willing to be what we were before?"

Dovepaw stared at him, bemused. Why would he want to do that? Didn't he know that he caused so much pain in her life? Did he even care? Was he just asking for the pleasure of having someone to love? She turned back to tending to his wounds. "I don't know. . . . I have other things to do. Besides, you won't be lonely with Spottedsong around."

"She's been different lately. She doesn't want to talk to me and she usually goes off on her own. I don't know if she wants to live with me," Foxclaw meowed, glancing at Spottedsong. "She was so quiet all day."

"Oh." Dovepaw didn't know what to say. She just continued applying the marigold. "She was always unpredictable. Maybe it's nothing too serious."

"Maybe. But really, Dovepaw, would you come and visit me if you could?" Foxclaw asked, his amber eyes shining with anticipation.

Dovepaw held his gaze for a long moment. Longing tugged at her heart, yet she knew that if she said yes it would be the wrong answer. She was a medicine cat! Medicine cats weren't supposed to love. Also, she was an apprentice and he was a former warrior. Saying yes seemed wrong on all levels. But she still wanted to be with him again, no matter how wrong it was. "Y . . . yes. I will always be there."